India aims to promote tea export to China

A buyer-seller meeting between Chinese and Indian tea dealers was held in Beijing on Oct. 24, with the aim to introduce Indian tea products to China.

Guatam Bambawale, Indian ambassador to China, speaks at the event to promote Indian tea exports to China in Beijing on Oct. 24, 2018. [Photo by Huang Shan/China.org.cn]

Guatam Bambawale, Indian ambassador to China, said: "Tea is very important in both India and China. In fact, tea made its appearance in India when it was first transported from China. Today, tea drinking culture is widely spread in both countries."

According to the ambassador, China is the world's major producer of green tea, with an annual production of 2,515 million kg, while India is the major producer of black tea, with an annual production of 1,278 million kg.

There are strong indications that the popularity of tea is growing and Chinese young people are beginning to like black tea and black tea-based beverages. "It's for this reason that we believe that the possibility of exporting Indian tea to China is rising," said the ambassador.

India exported 252 million kg of tea in 2017, of which 8.52 million kg went to China. Although being world's largest tea consumer, China only ranks 10th among the major importers of Indian tea, prompting Arun Kumar Ray, deputy chairman of the Tea Board of India who is leading a delegation of producers and exporters to China, to declare: "I hope China can come up to No. 5 [among the major importers]."

However, there are some barriers to increasing the market share of Indian tea. Xiao Juan, a Chinese business woman who has been engaged in the Indian tea business since 2004, explained: "India produces mainly CTC (Crush-Tear-Curl) tea, while Chinese people prefer orthodox tea types, especially when they choosing it as presents. That's why we are endeavoring to enhance knowledge of Indian tea among Chinese people."

The tea promotion event is co-hosted by the Embassy of India in Beijing, the China Tea Marketing Association and Tea Board of India. Before visiting Beijing, the Indian delegation visited Xiamen, a major tea production city in southeast China.